Rot--can I just cut off the plant base?

This is a discussion on Rot--can I just cut off the plant base? within the Orchid Ailments / The Compost Pile forums, part of the Orchid Culture category; Well, I've been trying to save this phal since I purchased it on a certain ...

Rot--can I just cut off the plant base?

Well, I've been trying to save this phal since I purchased it on a certain auction site last year. As you can see, I got pretty good new root growth last summer/fall and already this spring. I've given it SuperThrive (1x / month since March) and a balanced fertilizer. Growth looks good, but I unpotted tonight to check on things and the last of the old roots have rotted. Also, you can see the rot on the base of the plant--I already removed the bottom layer of leaves before this picture and treated the whole plant with Physan (sprayed it on).

So, should I cut of the bottom of the plant? Soak it in Physan? It has the upper root strength now, but will removing the bottom of the plant kill it? Any thoughts?

Yep, if it were my phal I'd remove all the bottom except for a few of the upper roots and then continue to "baby" it as you have. Hopefully you can remove all the rotten/black and still leave a few roots, even if you have to cut at a slant. Good luck!

Cut as little of the plant as possible while removing all the rot.
After you cut the rot away I would dip the cut areas in pure cinnamon.
Then show the little guy a lot of love!

What does Cinnamon have to do with orchids? Cinnamon’s anti-microbial nature makes it the perfect natural preventative for common minor orchid ailments. Dust powdered cinnamon on newly cut or damaged leaf surfaces to help heal the cut. Cinnamon has been effective in arresting the development of minor cases of Erwinia (bacterial rot) in some plants. Remove any affected areas of the plant until you reach healthy green tissue, and then dust with cinnamon. However, because of its desiccating nature, using cinnamon on the roots of orchids may not be the best idea. Informal experiments involving the use of cinnamon on healthy root tips have resulted in the roots drying out and shrinking excessively.

okay quick question about the use of cinnamon. okay I have some old outdated cinnamon in the cupboard. I have purchased from the mexican isle at the store cinnamon stick for like .50 cents a bag and I have gotten premuim sticks for like almost $5.00 a jar. I know the later I have ground up for my fresh applesauce and it was almost over kill on the cinnamon taste ( was kind of good though).
So, the question would any of these different types, age, ect, make any difference when using for orchids?
okay two questions ( LOL) how much do you use? sparingly, smother...
Thanks for any help

okay quick question about the use of cinnamon. okay I have some old outdated cinnamon in the cupboard. I have purchased from the mexican isle at the store cinnamon stick for like .50 cents a bag and I have gotten premuim sticks for like almost $5.00 a jar. I know the later I have ground up for my fresh applesauce and it was almost over kill on the cinnamon taste ( was kind of good though).
So, the question would any of these different types, age, ect, make any difference when using for orchids?
okay two questions ( LOL) how much do you use? sparingly, smother...
Thanks for any help

I don't have an answer for the age question, but you should put it only on the cut area. Don't get it on the rest of the plant.

It may lose some flavor qualities, but not its anti-fungal effectiveness. Cinnamon comes from Cassia bark (Which..I'm wondering...if we had some lying about would it be better than fir bark for orchids?)

Originally Posted by bc_bareroots

hmm... I don't know if cinnamon looses it's pizzazz with age... I normally buy a large container (generic quality) and empty it into some type of tupperware container and use it until it looks used :P

If I can simply dip the cut area into the container that's it. If not i'll get a pinch and sprinkle it on the cut area....

That's a good question - my only concern would be that since they say that cinnamon is desiccating in nature, that perhaps Cassia bark might have the same effect? Or maybe, since its bark (as opposed to ground cinnamon) it might not dry things out too much, but still deter rot. Someone should try this!!

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